Vaporizer



July 14', 1931. E. R. GO DWA RD I 1,314,685

VAPORIZER Filed Oct. 1, 1930 I lllll -INVENTOR. Era est 5. Gala/am;

Patented July 14, 1931 UNl-TEDYSTATES PATENT orr es;

, ERNEST R; GODWARD; on NEW YORK, 1v. Y., assreivoa T THEECLIPSE PETROL EGONO-Y' MISER'SYSTEM COMPANY, LI'MXTED, OF CHRISTCHURCH, *NEW ZEALA-ND, A CQB- v PORA'IION on NEW ZEALAND v-Aroniznn Application fi led October 1, 1930. Serial No. 485,705.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for vaporizing fuel mixtures such eag. as-are supplied to internal combustion engines; and the invention has reference,

fi'more particularly, to improvements in vaporizers of the kind shown and described in my. United States Letters Patent No. 1,686,609, dated October 9th, 1928.

The present invention has for its principal 10? object to provide, in a plate surface vaporizer,

an improved means for collecting unvaporized liquid fuel particles, separated by gravity from the vaporized fuel mixture produced in the main vaporizing chamber, ofthe ap- 16? paratus, and subjecting the same to the boil ingeil'ect's of heat of relatively high degree, whereby vaporization. thereof is expedited, and the additional vapor thus obtained is automatically returned tot-he main vaporiz ing chamber tojointhe output thereof.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment ratus made-according to the principles of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal section of theimproved vaporizing apparatus; and

' Fi ure2 is ahorizontal section of the same,

1 taken on line 22 in Figure 1.

by the vaporizerapparat-us.

Similar" characters of reference are employed in said views to :indicate correspond- 5 ing parts. I

her 2 isprovided with an'outlet portion 3,

which may be suitably connected in communication with theintake manifold (not-shown)- of an internal combustion enginetobeservecl The interior of the casing or or partition .4, to provide; a main vaporizing chamber 5 above the same, and aiheater charm I bea 6 below the same" "Theafu'e'l mixture in-. take 7, which: leads centrallyzinto the lower I of an appa 'p'ot 1 is subdivided byan inverted conicalbottom plate:

ber G-toeXtend intermediate the outer bottom wall 9 of the latter toward the intake opening 10 of: the vaporizing chamber 5. Formed between said intake opening lOand said throat.

member 8 is a substantially horizontal annularcollecting basin 11, which projectswithin the interior of said heating chamber 6, The diameter of said intake opening 10 exceeds the diameterof the fuel mixture intake 7,. whereby an annular catohlip 12 is formed. to underlie the margins of said intake opening 10, p The floor 130i said basin l1 slopes down.- wardly and outwardly from said catch lip'12 to the bottom of saidbasin 11,. and said basin is provided with a cover wall 14 extendingbetween its outer; periphery and the bottom plate or partition 4, soas tosegi'vegate the interior of thebasin 11 from the interior of said heating chamber. 6, leaving, however, an annular open.- ing 15 affording communication between the interior of the basin 11. and the interior of the vaporizing chamber 5. Extending between the basin 11 to the bottom wallv 9.-are one or, more necks 16 having passages 17 therethrough leadingdownwardly and out.- wardly from-the interior of said basin. Normally the lower ends ofsaid passages 17-a-re closed by removable plugs 18"engaged in enlarged internally threadedsockets provided at the-lower ends of said passages v1T. These passages 17 provide clean-out passages which maybe opened atwill, byremoval ofthe plugs 18, for the: purpose ofdrainingout and cleaning the basin interior, when it is so-desired to do. These plugs lSmay be provided with a'small' hole or holes to admit a limited amount of air to the interior of the basin duringoperation ofthe device, if desired;

Y Formed in connectionv with the Econical bottom plate or partition 4,,prefera-bly as i-n-' tegral parts thereof, are a plurality of annular fins 19 projecting from the outer sidethereof into the interior of the heating cham her 6.: The casing or pot 1 is provided at opposite sides with laterally extending necks 29,1 respectively forming inlet andouitlet passages :21 andz22rleading intoand out of the.

heating chamber 6, and through which, in connection with suitable delivering and discharging conduits (not shown) a heating medium (such e. g. as the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine) may be introduced into and circulated through the heating chamber 6, so as to transfer heat to said bottom wall or partition 4, and so as to envelop and transfer heat to the basin 11. The fins 19 provide the wall or partition 4 with an increased area of surface for contact with the heating medium circulated through the heating chamber 6, and consequently the heat absorption capacity and c011- duction efficiency of said partition or wall is increased thereby.

Arranged within the interior of said vaporizing chamber 5 is a nest of radial up-standing plates 23 which ext-end between a central supporting core 24 to the walls of said chamher 5, the same being separated to form intermediate passages communicating at their lower ends with the intake opening 10 of the vaporizing chamber 5. Extending over the upper end of this nest of plates 23, so

as to close the major portion of the upper ends of the passages between the plates is a top-plate 25, preferably secured to the upper end of the supporting core 24: by suitable fastening means, such as screws 26. Said topplate 25 is of less diameter-than the inside diameter of the vaporizing chamber 5, thus leaving the outer portions of the upper ends of said passages between the plates open, and thereby providing dlscharge mouths or exits 27, which communicate through the interior of the cover member 2 with the outlet por tion 3. The lower margins of the plates 23 are inclined at an angle corresponding to the angle of slope of said bottom plate or partition 4 so as to contact therewith.

The delivery end 28 of any suitable form of liquid fuel atomizing carbureter is connected with the fuel mixture intake 7 so as to deliver the fuel mixture output of said carburetor into the vaporizer apparatus.

In the apparatus the fuel mixture delivered into the vaporizing chamber 5 is subjected to vaporizing effects according to the general principles disclosed in my rior United States Patent No. 1,686,610, dated October 9th, 1928. During the vaporizing process wet fuel particles accumulating on the surfaces of the plates 23 will gravitate thereon to ward the downwardly inclined bottom or partition 4L, and such wet fuel particles, particularly including heavy or less volatile ends of the fuel, which are not volatilized by the hotter portions of the lower ends of the plates, will continue to flow down the incline of the bottom or partition 4 to the periphery of the opening 10, from which the same will fall to the catch lip 12 of the basin 11, beingthereupon carried by the slopin floor 13 into the interior of the basin 11. wing to the fact that said basin 11 is entirely enveloped in hot exhaust gases circulated through the heating chamber 6, a maximum heat is applied to the liquid fuel thus accumulated in said basin 11, with the result that said accumulated fuel is boiled off or vaporized. The resultant vapor rises toward the cover wall 14. of the basin, whereupon the same is sucked through the annular opening 15 by the inrushing stream of fuel mixture entering the vaporizing chamber 5 through the intake 7, so that the same is carried back into the passages between the plates 23, to there join vaporized fuel mixture discharged through the discharge mouths 27 and cover outlet 3 to the engine cylinders, or other place of use.

The novelform and arrangement of catchbasin for back-drained liquid fuel, as dis closed in the drawings and above described, is a very desirable improved feature of the vaporizer apparatus, since it provides means for subjecting unvaporized liquid fuel to high heat, especially during engine starting from cold condition; even under normal running conditions heavy ends of the liquid fuel employed may escape vaporization in the plate chamber, but are nevertheless caught in the more intensely heated basin l1 and quickly boiled off and returned in vapor form to join the gaseous output of the apparatus. While I prefer the form and arrangement of basin shown and described, I am nevertheless aware that some changes could be made therein with out departing from the scope of this invention, and it is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

' I claim V 1. In a vaporizing apparatus of the kind described, a vaporizing chamber having a cen tral carburetted fuel mixture intake leading upwardly thereinto and a downwardly and centrally slopingbottom heating plate heated by exhaust gases terminating in an opening above and exceeding the diameter of said intake, and an annular catch-basin also heated by exhaust gases intermediate said sloping chamber bottom and said intake, said basin having a catch-lip beneath the periphery of said opening and an annular opening above said intake and communicating with said heating plate opening.

2. In a vaporizing apparatus of the kind described, a vaporizing chamber having a central carburetted fuel mixture intake leading upwardly thereinto and a downwardly and centrally sloping bottom heating plate heated by exhaust gases terminating inan opening above and exceeding the diameter of said intake, an annular catch-basin also heated by exhaust gases intermediate said sloping chamber bottom and said intake, said basin having a catch-lip beneath the periph ery of said opening and an annular opening above said intake and communicating with said heating plate opening, means to provide clean-out passages leading from said basin interior, and means to normally close said clean-out passages.

3. In a vaporizing apparatus of the kind described, a casing, a partition means to subdivide said casing interior to form an upper vaporizing chamber and a lower heating chamber, a fuel mixture intake means leading upwardly through said heating chamber, said partition means having a downwardly and centrally sloping portion converging toward said intake means and termmatmg in an openmg above and exceeding I the diameter of said intake means, an annular arch-basin intermediate said sloping partition portion and said intake means arranged to extendinto the interior of said heating chamber, said basin having a catch-lip spaced beneath the periphery of said partition opening and extending around the upper end of said intake means, a cover member extending between the outer margins of said basin and the periphery of said partition opening, and means to enter and discharge exhaust gases into and from said heating chamber- 4. In a vaporizing apparatus of the kind described, a casing, a partition means to subdivide said casing interior to form an upper vaporizing chamber and a lower heating chamber, a fuel mixture intake means leading upwardly through said heating chamber, said partition means having a downwardly and centrally sloping portion converging toward said intake means and terminating in an opening above and exceeding the diameter of said intake means, an annular catch-basin intermediate said sloping partition portion and said intake means arranged to extend into the interior of said heating chamber, said basin having a catch-lip spaced beneath the periphery of said partition opening and extending around the upper end of said intake means, a cover member extending between the outer margins of said basin and the periphery of said partition opening, means to provide clean-out passages leading from said basin interior through a wall of said casing, means to normally close said clean-out passages, and means to enter and-discharge exhaust gases into and from said heating chamber.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of September, 1930.

ERNEST R. GODWARD. 

